Type-writing machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. A. BROOKS. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. '24

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(No Model.) f 2 Sheefs Sheet 2. B. A. BROOKS. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

Patented Nov} 24, 1891.

Q i f l I THE NORRIS FETER! 20., FNDYO'LITNo- WASHNGTUN, U. C.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BYRON A. BROOKS, OF BROOKLYN, NEXV YORK.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION fotming part of Letters Patent No. 463,723, dated November24, 1891.

Application filed July 22, 1887. Serial No. 245,018. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BYRON A. BROOKS, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Type-.Vriting Machines, of which the following is adescription insuch full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any one skilledin the art and described therein, but includes substantial equivalents,since many modifications may obviously be made without departing fromeither the spirit or scope of my invention. The said devices may be usedseparately as well as conjointly.

The machine herein illustrated and described is only intended as anillustration of the several novel features of my invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art of manufacturing type-writers tocomprehend and practice the same.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a side View of amachine embodying some of the novel features of my present invention,parts being broken away; and Fig. 2 illustrates a top view of saidmachine. Fig. 3 illustrates a side View, and Fig. 4 a top view, ofmodified forms of said machine.

The following is a description of said drawings:

Referring first to Fig. 1,A is a type-wheel, on which the type B B arecarried. This type-wheel is carried upon a shaft 0, on which it is freeto move longitudinally, being guided in said longitudinal movement by atongue D upon said shaft-working into a corresponding groove in the hubof the type-wheel. This shaft 0 is carried by a rod E, to which it isattached by means of acollar, so as to be free to revolve about its ownaxis, but without freedom to move longitudinally. The rod E (see Fig. 2)is journaled in the standards F and is free to oscillate or have alimited movement about its own longitudinal axis. The rod E also carriesrigidly attached to it the arms G G, extending forward and bearing theindex-plate H. The shaft 0, which carries the type-wheel, is journaledat its front end on a projection from this index-plate, as is moreclearly shown in Fig. 3, where said projection bears thereference-letter I. The rod E, arms G G, and index-plate H form aframefree to vibrate or revolve around the axis of the bar E, said framebeing supported on the standards F F.

23 is a hook held in position by means of a thumb-screw 24.. When saidhook is in the position illustrated by the drawings, it fur.- nishes astop to limit theupward movement of the said vibrating frame. WVheu setin the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, it furnishes arest for said vibrating frame when it is raised and thrown back. Theshaft 0 also carries rigidly attached to it a pinion-Wheel J, whichmeshes into a rack K, traveling in a track attached to said frame E G GH. To this rack K a thumb-piece and index pointer L is attached. Whenthe thumb-piece L is moved toward the right hand or toward the lefthand, the said rack is arranged that when the pointer stands opposite agiven letter or symbol the corresponding letter or symbol on thetype-wheel -is brought opposite to or in line with the print ing-point.

The index-plate H bears a number of lines of letters and symbolscorresponding with the rows of type on the type-Wheel. The means bywhich said type-wheel is shifted to present the type in either one ofthese rows to the printing-point consists, in the machines illustratedin the drawings, of a lever M, working at one end in a groove cut in acollar N, attached to the type-wheel. As the knob at tached to the leverM is drawn out or pushed in, the type-wheel is caused to travellongitudinally on the shaft 0, thereby bringing one or the other of thesaid rows of type on line with the printing-point. O is a springpieceattached to said vibrating frame and bearing against the side of the rodN, in which notches are cut to form a break or catch to designate anddetermine the neces' sary position of the rod 0 to bring each of theseveral rows of type on the printing-line.

P- indicates an arm carrying the inkingroller Q. Referring to Figs. 1and 2 it will be seen that this arm is carried on a pivotbearingattached to the standard R, and that the arm P is provided with a toe S,projecting under and in the path of a pin T, carried by said vibratingframe, and that therefore, when the vibrating frame is pressed down, thetypes first come in contact with the inking-roller Q, and then the rodT, striking the toe S, withdraws the inking-roller out of the path ofthe descending type-wheel.

U is a spring to return the inking-roller to its normal position (thatshown in Fig. 1) when the vibrating frame is raised again.

V is a distributing inking-surface against which at each vibration theroller Q bears.

The rack K carries a series of set-pins W. These pins travel over theend of the lever X and are preferably so adjusted as to cause the leverX to be depressed a greater or less distance, according to the width ofthe letter or symbol being printed, at the time when they severally comein contact with and actuate said lever X for the purpose of giving avariable space between the letters. This lever X is pivoted on astandardY and carries a pawl Z, meshing in the ratchet-teeth of bar 2,

said bar traveling in a track on the frame or bed-plate of the machine3. Said ratchet-bar 2 is attached to the platen-carriage carrying theplaten 4, the pressure-rolls 5, and the finger-guide 0.

20 is a spring constantly tending to .keep the lever-arm X, bearing thepawl, Z in the position illustrated in Fig. 2. 21 is a fork which limitsthe arc of vibration of said arm X.

To the axle 7 of the platen 4. a wheel 8, out with a series of notch es,is attached, and into these notches a spring 9 takes. hen said wheel 8is revolved, the platen is turned to space between lines of print, andsaid spring and notches indicate the distance the platen should beturned to give said line-space, and they hold the platen in positionwhile the printing is going on.

Attached to the shaft 0 is a wheel 10, hav ing V-shaped notches cut onits periphery.

11 is a standard or anvil attached to the bed-plate and bearing at itsupper end a V- shaped projection fitting in the corresponding notchesout on the wheel 10. The number of these notches corresponds with thenumber of types carried on the wheel A in each row, and the function ofsaid wheel 10 is to insure each type being brought squarely face downupon the paper carried on the platen and to avoid the possibility of thetype-wheel being when it reaches the paper in such a position as to givean imperfect impression. It also materially increases the rapidity withwhich the machine may be operated, because it relieves the operator ofthe necessity of bringing the pointer L very accurately over a letterbefore the frame is depressed to accomplish printing.

Figs. 3 and 4 show modifiedforms of typewriting machines embodying mypresent invention. The principal features distinguishing this machinefrom that already described consist of the means by which the type-wheelis brought automatically exactly to the printing-point and the means bywhich the inking of the type is accomplished. Referring to Fig. 3, Lrepresents the pointer and thumb-piece corresponding to that illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2. This finger-piece in Fig. 3 is, however, carried by apivot-pin 12, about which it has a limited motion. Thelower end 13 ofthis fingerpiece carries a tooth which fits in the V-shaped teeth 1a ofa rack carried on the vibrating frame immediately under the index-plateH. 15 is a spring for holding the tooth 13 normally out of engagementwith the rack 14. This tooth and rack, as will be readily understood,has precisely the same function as the standard 11 and wheel 10,(illustrated in Fig.

1,) the finger-piece L being pressed down to throw the tooth 18 inconnection with the rack 14: as the vibrating frame carrying thetype-wheel is thrown down to print. The inking-roll Q is operated insubstantially the same manner as the inking-roller previously described;but the roll Q, instead of being thrown back from the type-wheel out ofits path as it descends, is pivoted so as to be thrown out sidewise inthe line of the circumference of said type-wheel by similar mechanism. 7

When it is desired to draw the platen-carriage back to space betweenlines, the arm 16, Fig. 1, pivoted to the platen-carriage at 17, ispressed forward, elevating the rod 18, which it carries and which restsunder a pin 19, attached to the pawl Z. Said pawl is thereby raised outof engagement with its rack, thereby permitting the platen-earriage tobe drawn back.

The operation of the machine may be thus described: The pointer Lismoved by the operator opposite to the letter on the indexplate H whichit is desired to print. The type-wheel is thereby, through the agency ofthe rack K, attached to said pointer, and the pinion-wheel J, attachedto the shaft carrying said type-Wheel, turned to present thecorresponding type to the platen. The fingerpiece and pointer L are thendepressed, and being attached to the vibrating frame E G G H, carryingthe type-wheel, said frame is thereby depressed, and one of the types onsaid type-wheel is pressed against the paper carried by the platen. Thetype-wheel descending firstbrings the type standing opposite theprinting-point against the inkingroller, and then as the vibrating framecontinues to descend the bar '1 strikes against the toe S and withdrawssaid roller out of the path of the descending wheel. Just before thetype-wheel reaches the paper the wheel 10, attached to the type-wheelshaft, strikes on the anvil 11 and insures the type being broughtsquarely to the printing-point. At the same time one of the pins Wdepresses the end of the lever X, thereby drawing the arm X back,causing the pawl Z, which it carries, to slip over the ratchet-teeth onthe ratchet-bar 2. When the vibrating frame is released from thepressure of the finger, the spring 22 throws it up to its normalposition against the stop 23, and the spring 20 throws the arm X,carrying the pawl Z, forward against the stop 21, and said pawl thusmoving forward causes the platen-carriage attached to the rack-bar 2,with which said pawl engages, to advance and space between letters. Itwill be seen that the dis tance the platen moves is dependent upon thedistance the leverarm X has been just previously depressed, and this isdependent upon the adjustment of the pins W, by which a variable spacingis accomplished.

Referring to the pointer L it will be observed that the power by meansof which the type-wheel is revolved to bring the required type to theprinting-point and to impress the platen against the type is applied bythe operator to said pointer. This pointer may of course be of thesimplest construction as long as it is fashioned to receive eitherdirectly or indirectly the manipulation of the operator.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a type-writingmachine, the combina tion of a traveling platen, a letter-plate parallelwith the axis of said platen, a pointer provided with a hand-piece, avibrating frame,

a type-wheel having a plurality of rows of type carried by said frame,arack and pinion for rotating said type-wheel, an inking-pad suspendedbetween the type-wheel and platen, a movable arm attached to a fixedsupport by which said inking-pad is carried, and a projection on' theframe by means of which the pad is moved out of the path of thetypewheel descending to print. I

2. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, aletter-plate parallel to the axis of said platen, a pointer providedwith a hand-piece whereby the hand of the operator is shifted todifferent positions with relation to the axis of the type-wheel to bringthe several letters opposite the printing-point, a vibrating frame, atype-wheel carried by said frame, a rack and pinion for operating saidtype-wheel, a toothed wheel carried on the shaft of said type-wheel, anda fixed standard, substantially as described.

3. In a type-writing machine, a type-wheel, suitable spacing mechanism,and a vibrating frame, combined with a pinion and a sliding platecarrying a rack, both carried by said frame, said plate being providedwith a series of projections of varying lengths for operating the pawland ratchet of said spacing mechanism, substantially as described.

4. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a traveling platen, aletter-plate parallel with the axis of said platen, a pointer providedwith ahand-piece, a vibrating frame, a type-wheel having a plurality ofrows of type carried by said frame, a rack and pinion for rotating saidtype-wheel, and a shifting-lever by means of which the type-wheel isshifted to bring its different rows of type to the printing-point.

' BYRON A. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

R. A. CORINALDI, R. BARTLETT.

